story time books

This is the fourth book in the Undys series by Michael Wagner with illustrations by Gus Gordon. The first three have been popular, and this one is just as good. Sticking to a tried and tested formula, this book contains four contests and four end-of-chapter rewards. This time the Undys go camping, but now it’s an expanded family. Father Phil’s girlfriend Amy is part of the expedition, Aunty Faber is there, and Daniel the Sudanese refugee from the flats is along with his daughter Summer. There are paddleboat races,  a treasure hunt and a greasy pole battle between Josh and Amy, after they’ve expressed their difficulties in talking to each other, and Josh has told her you don’t have to talk to boys, you just do things with them. Then there’s a beach volleyball match against two other families. As usual, funny, with a dash of serious stuff thrown into the mix to keep it interesting. Great reading for anyone over 7 who likes fun. Any of the Undys books is great on its on, but together they give an even better impression of a family. And if you don’t like people writing in books, all the reward pages are reproduced on Michael Wagner’s website. Good idea!!

A new picture book by Tim Tipene with illustrations by John Bennett, also available in a te reo  version (pictured)with translation by Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira. It’s a cautionary tale about a feisty girl, Hinemoa, who is unafraid of anything. “I am Hinemoa te toa, bring it on,” is her response to situations where many her age would be fearful, including rugby, wetas and dental nurses. But even Hinemoa needs some fear. When swimming lessons start at school she is scared, but when her Nana challenges her she jumps right in at the deep end and has to be rescued. Then Nana explains that she must listen to her fear, start at the shallow end and learn to swim properly. And on the way home when her brother’s cap sails into a tree on the wind, she shows her newfound wisdom by not racing into the tree, but saying she’ll get Dad to give her a hand. Expressive illustrations add to the story. A good book for those overconfident children, but a good read for anyone.

A child’s eye view of an eccentric grandparent, by Richard Johnson. Grandpa is an inventor, and when  a letter arrives inviting him to enter an inventing competition (Grandpa category), child, grandfather and grandmother offer ideas. In the end Grandpa works all night and wins first prize for his “story-telling-showing-n-smelling-marvellous-magic-machine.” When it’s the grandchild’s turn, at bedtime, the machine breaks, Grandpa invents a story for her and she realises she doesn’t need a machine, as she has a “wunda-marvellous-creata-tastic-crinkle-wrinkle-magic-making-grandpa”. Evocative illustrations with lots to look at, so that when the story is done there’s another trip through the book to look at all the detail.

Now in paperback, this lovely book by Margaret Wild with exquisite illustrations by Julie Vivas should find a wider audience. The illustrations are pastel and watercolour pencil on textured paper and they glow, whether day or night is being represented. In a  classic picture book coming-of-age story,  the puffling (a puffin chick) hatches, feeds, and prepares for the adventure of the world. The text and illustrations work together well to give a sense of the danger and adventure of the puffling’s view of the world. Charming and lovely.

This is a New Zealand picture book, by Simon Grant with illustrations by Jenny Cooper. Peter is a pirate. Feeling that he lacks something in the accessory department, he goes to the pet shop and asks for a parrot. The pet shop owner, a “would you like fries instead of that” sort of person, offers a pig as a substitute. Peter complains that he feels silly with a pig on his shoulder so the pet shop owner suggests he’d look scarier with an eye patch.  That is replaced by a cat suit, the suggested cutlass with a pooper scooper,  the pirate ship with an inflatable rubber duck, more pirates with school children at the swimming pool. The punch line comes when the pet shop owner asks if she can do anything else for Peter. “No, I don’t think so” says Peter, obviously enjoying himself hugely, “Except…..(turn the page)..”I’m still not sure about the pig.” The illustrations, with a scrawny Peter and a buxom pet shop owner are as zany as the text, and kids who like silliness (most of them) will enjoy this one very much.

In September 2006 the National Library of New Zealand launched a major science exhibition called Butterflies, Boffins & Black Smokers: Two Centuries of Science in New Zealand, curated by Veronika Meduna and Rebecca Priestley. This book is an adaptation of that exhibition with an additional 30 new biographical profiles. The profiles included range from Solander and Banks, born in the first half of the eighteenth century, to eight scientists born in the second half of the twentieth; from amateur ornitholigists to Nobel Prize winners, medical researchers to cosmologists, women and men, Maori and Pakeha, those born here and those born overseas. A very interesting read for anyone interested in science in New Zealand, and a must have for school libraries.

Back into history again, with first-time novelist Katy Moran as guide. Seventh century Britain, about a hundred years before Bede’s first history of Britain is where we find ourselves this time, and once again it’s a wonderfully created world which reminds us  another time that the essence of what it means to be human is unchanged. The author gives us wonderfully believable characters who live, love, lie, fight and die, political allegiances shifting, men and women behaving heroically and badly. There are family and tribal loyalties, and friendships which transcend those;  miscommunications and misunderstandings, and a “fantasy”/magical element in that Essa, our hero, is capable of out-of-body experiences, flying with birds, running with hounds and horses, and communicating with animals in ways not many of us can.  All the good elements again, great narrative drive, characters we can care about, universal themes and lovely writing. Another highly recommended book for the teenage/young adult shelf. Philip Reeve, who won this year’s Carnegie Medal for Here Lies Arthur said “A rich, vivid historical fantasy and a tremendously assured first novel”. He’s certainly one who should know.

This is another book about a character from another culture and time (the thirteenth century). Sandy Fussell has written a beautiful story of Illuak, a boy from the Too-lee, a polar tribe, and his challenges as he comes to terms with the fact that his grandmother (the tribal shaman) has predicted an encounter with a bear. His conflict between wanting to be brave and knowing how scared he feels is well written, as are the relationships with family and others in the tribe. When her prophecy eventuates, it’s a bear of a man he has to deal with, a Northman or Viking, and the story comes to a very satisfying conclusion which draws together several threads from through the narrative. I found it a very good read and would recommend it to readers from about ten up. It’s another book which has creates a very different world from ours in a way that is utterly believable. I’m now looking forward to reading the first and second books of the Samurai Kids series by the same author.

Another terrific read, by Simon Morden. A fantastic cover, a wonderful opening chapter, and the rest of the book doesn’t lower the standard. Science fiction, post apocalyptic fiction, fantasy: whatever genre this is or isn’t I can’t really see why it has been categorised as a children’s book, but I’m happy to have it. The main characters are nearly all adult apart from a 15-year-old camel boy, and the story is fairly universal in terms of its appeal. It has an obsessive monk, a princess who unrequitedly loves him, the camel boy, a star-traveller with super-human powers, and a world a thousand or so years into the future where technology is reviled by church and mosque and the earth is “upside down”, Kenya to the north of Russia and Ireland to the east of what we would now call the Middle East. The plot hurtles along, with two stories converging, and issues galore to consider, technology, colonisation, equality and slavery, religion and politics. It’s beautifully controlled, very funny in parts, and the prose sings, adding to the reading pleasure. Teenage/young adult/adult, recommended as a great read.

By Susan Schade and Jon Buller, this is the second of the Fog Mound series. Like the first book, reviewed here in June this year, it has alternate chapters, one in graphic/comic form, the next in text with illustrations. What is amazing is that as I became involved in the story I didn’t really notice which style I was reading; it was all just part of the story. A great way for those who think they like only graphics to wean themselves onto word stories, but these books are more than just mean-to-an-end books: they’re a good read anyway. Lots of excitement, humour and some thought-provoking ideas for those looking for more than story. 8-year-olds and older. Number three to come, and perhaps more.